Trial By Fire
by BlackDragonTalon
Summary: I was never the smartest person, but this time it wasn't my fault. A day at the bank turned into a nightmare and it seems that my nightmares will keep coming in the forms of ragged scars and a dark purple suit. Maybe just maybe, getting burned will stop him but if not, flames only go out when there is no oxygen left to burn. OC/Joker


Chapter One: Memorable First Meeting

"I am a citizen of Gotham!" I cried frustratedly to the bank clerk. "I have a right to any funds left in my father's account!" I yelled at the slightly older man sitting across from me who sat smugly in his big leather office chair.

"Miss Marven let me understand this. You're a part of a travelling circus, am I correct?" He asked me, making me sit up straighter. Whenever someone asked about the circus it was almost always a bad thing. My red-tipped dyed hair flew over my shoulder behind my back as I tried to hide the embers beginning to flair from my emotions from the beginning of the accusation.

"Yes sir, I was recently a part of the circus until my father passed. He left me this money in his will, and I don't understand why I am having this much trouble accessing something he left me!" I fumed. Despite visiting Gotham several times with the circus, I had almost always run into a mob involved crony every time left the circus grounds. Circus folks tend to keep to themselves, and for good reason for most. From my experience, this man in front of me definitely had something to do with the mob.

"The Rocket Brothers Travelling Circus, correct?"

"Yes sir, but what does that matter? My father passed away, I left because of the memories."

"It seems that you are unaware Miss. Your father's funds were emptied before his death. This will allow you access to 'all funds in Mr Marven's bank remaining and forthwith'. Miss Marven, there is simply no money that is available in your legal name and right." The downright evil man smirked. My gut dropped. That was my best chance to start a new life without my past coming back. No one wanted a carnival worker; my skills wouldn't work in an officer or shop. Only, this chance will never happen.

"Who was the money given too, can I ask?" I gritted my teeth together. "My father was a hard-working man who always looked after his family. You have to be lying to me…" I muttered.

"That Miss is private information, but I will say that you must have known a different man to your father." He grinned wickedly. Overwhelmed in anger I lunged across the desk grabbing his tie. Like so many times before, my anger controlled my abilities. I felt the blood in my fists begin to boil, causing my skin to glow red in heat. The tips of my hair went from orange embers to flaring in flames. I saw in his fearful eyes, my irises flicker red and embers.

"Now listen here you crook, my father was twice no third the man you'll ever be and if you insult him again I will burn off more skin that even your little penguin suit won't ever cover it." I threaten. With my threats increasing same as my anger, his tie ignited within my fist. The flames did not bother my skin, but they sure bothered the bank clerk.

"Yes ma'am…. P-please s-s-stop…" He whimpered.

"Now show me to someone who can fix my problem weasel." I growled. I threw him away from me, hearing him splutter as I tried to calm both my emotions and flames down. My eyes closed; I hear him calling another bank employee to take me to a different office. Basically, just passing me off to another person in fear. I close my eyes to attempt to calm down as I hear another voice. My anger began to cool as I counted down from 10.

"Ma'am, is everything alright here?" The man asks me, obviously a higher position compared to this coward in front of me.

"No, everything is not alright. I want access to my father's account as his only heir." I said frustrated, almost shaking in my anger.

"Now calm down ma'am, why don't you come to my office and we can do as much as we can to settle this."

"Now that seems reasonable." I growled, almost snarling at the simpering weasel. As I followed the man to his office, I noticed the quiet crowd lining up at each service counter seemingly to have the easiest day at the bank compared to my day. My thoughts continued as we both entered his office, only stopping as I sat opposite him.

"Now ma'am I need your fathers name and your name." He said, fingers dashing over a keyboard.

"His name is Rodney Marven and I am his only child, Persephone Marven." I said, watching his fingers typing both of our names out.

"Now Ma'am I have to say that without either a warrant or proof of a will, we cannot show you anything about your fathers account." He spoke, I got ready to interrupt before he continued with a palm raised. "I know that this is not what you wanted to hear but, this is all we can do without the legal matters sorted beforehand. I can freeze your fathers account if any suspicious activity occurs which concerning his passing will be little to no activity. If you would like, I can alert you to any activity concerning your fathers account for a week, no longer, until you can sort out the legal matters. Is that a considerable option?" I nodded, relieved at the mans options.

"Thank you so much! It's been difficult sorting these things.." I mumble out before a loud bang noise distracted me, drawing my attention to the entrance of the bank.

"GET ON THE GROUND! ON THE GROUND!"

"ALL OF YOU ON THE GROUND!" Yells continue to break out, I focused on the entrance of the bank to see several men with fairly large guns. I felt on my back a hand pushing me down under the desk. I turned to see the bank manager pushing me under his desk, I frowned as he began whispering to me.

"Don't come out of here under any circumstance, please you need to stay safe." He whispered, I just nodded in fear. Yes, I did have the ability to make fire like Zuko from the Last Airbender but still I wasn't exactly bulletproof! I was lot in my thoughts as I saw the bank manager walk out of his office, a shotgun that I'd never seen before in his arms.

"Wait! Where are you going?" I asked before another gunshot broke through the bank, causing me to hide again.

"Someone needs to show these thugs a new lesson," he spoke before sliding out the door. I watch as he confronts the two men tying up hostages and for some reason putting grenades in their hands. Confronting the two men, he shot directly at them causing them to hide behind a desk.

"What are they doing?" I whisper, before I felt arms pull my hands behind my back. "No! Let me go!" I yell as I felt them pulling me out into the open.

"You have any idea who you're stealing from? You and your friends are dead!" I hear the bank manager yelling in anger however, I was much more focused on me being pulled out of his office and into the direct line of fire.

"Hold still little girl, maybe the boss will let me keep you." I felt the stench of his breath on my ear causing me to struggle just a little bit more, my hands starting to heat with my anger and fear. I hear another loud bang causing me to drop to the floor, or at least attempting to with my arms around my back.

"Hold still! Hey! Guys, I got me a little souvenir! Think he'll mind?" He starts laughing as two men come out of the back vault, hauling what I'm guessing is many duffle bags filled to the brim with cash and dropping them in front of the entrance. One of the men walk out carrying another bag, looking at the man behind me and just smirking.

"Yeah man, maybe we can share?" He chuckled and I just shivered in fear at the two evil grins the men's faces held. I started shaking my hand and struggling in their hold. "Come one man, focus on the broad later, we have got this to finish now. Hey, tie her down over there I need your help in the vault," the man in the grumpy mask spoke. The man behind me managed to tie my hands with something, it felt rather like a plastic zip tie and he forced me down on my knees where they had stashed the cash bags. The two men began to walk towards the vault as another man walked out carrying another two duffels. He stared directly at me through his mask causing me to bow my head under his intense stare. As he dropped the bags behind me, I heard a single gunshot in time as I felt a hand stroke down my shoulder. My eyes could only just manage to see the man behind me still staring at me, as well as hearing Grumpy come out of the bank vault alone. Both robbers stand close to the pile of cash and stare at it for a moment.

"If this guy was so smart, he would have had us bring a bigger car so we could fit the cash and the broad in it." Grumpy says staring intensely at the clown man behind me. The man behind me kneels down to try and move my bindings on my wrists but I hear a click behind me and Grumpy began to talk. "I'm betting the Joker told you to kill me soon as we loaded the cash." He growls, I fell the clown behind me pulling me up to follow him. I feel his arms wrap around me, one around my waist and the other around my chest. He pulls his arm up to seemingly check a watch on his wrist.

"Hmm, no no no no… I kill the bus driver." He mutters, as he pulls me around tight to his body. The gun from Grumpy still aimed at the man behind me and me subsequently in the way.

"Bus driver? What bus-"Grumpy said confused before a yellow school bus rockets through the front of the bank, slamming the clown far across the room into a teller window ending the threat of his gun. I felt his hands slipping down from my waist pulling me closer to him.

"Now you stay with me sweetheart, if you run, I will find you." He practically growls into my ear, forcing me to nod in fear and submission. "Say yes sir. Now." He actually growled and despite not seeing his face I knew that he was very serious.

"Yes sir." I mumbled ducking my chin before my face was pulled back up. His eyes grew even darker than from before and I spoke a little louder. "Yes sir." I nodded looking down as I could.

"Good girl," he said tucking me into his arm as another man came out from the bus, most likely the bus driver. As the two men begin loading the bags into the back of the school bus, I'm forced against the side of the bus. I stood still as they kept loading the bags up, taking a good ten minutes making me wonder where the police are.

"Hey, who's the broad?" The other robber asks before he's shot by my now captor. My captor started to lunge towards me before a voice broke out from the whimpering and crying of the hostages and the emerging sirens in the distance.

"You think you're smart, huh? Well, the guy who hired you's just do the same to you.." I felt the clown drag me down to where I saw the bank manager laying on the floor in pain. As I saw us draw closer to him, my captor shook his head disagreeing with the statement. "Sure he will. Criminals in this town used to believe in things… Honor. Respect. What do you believe, huh? What do you beli-" He said before a grenade entered his mouth making me gasp in horror. Still being held close to the clown-masked robber behind me, I felt the hand from my arm disappear but the arm and hand still tight around my waist. I noticed a tight purple thread around the ring of the grenade connecting into the jacket of my captor. Looking at the thread, I watched as my captors hand pulled the mask from his face revealing the scars.

"I believe that what doesn't kill you…" I almost gasped with the bank manager at the sight of his scars. "…simply makes you stranger." He smiles almost evilly down to the manager before looking back at me. "Time to go now sweetheart, no struggling or someone here will die." He grinned as I shook in fear. As we both rise, I notice the thread ever pulling and growing longer as the distance between the grenade and my captors jacket grew ever longer, I struggled as I realised what was going to happen.

"No! Stop it!" I struggled to pull away from him, before I was yanked back to his chest Quite aggressively if I state, his arm wrapped even tighter around my stomach than before.

"What did I say sweetheart? I have no trouble shooting someone right here right now." He growled while I just shook in fear. My fear for the other people surrounding me was enough for me to nod silently, I continued to shake as he pulled me further into his chest. "Say it, now," He threatened, I didn't have to know what he meant.

"Yes sir…." I mumbled, trying to pull away from him but to no avail. I started to heat my hands, maybe if he was burnt he would release me. Just as I felt the heat beginning to erupt a tight grip forced me to stop in shock.

"Now, stop with your little talents because if you keep making this difficult, I will blow up this building and everyone inside. This is your last warning…" He growled, I just looked down. How in the world this is going to end I have no idea. In my quiet mulling and silent despair, I was pulled into the bus, watching the purple cord get caught in the door. Sitting at the window as I felt my captor leave me alone, I watched as the bus left the rumble behind and focussed with a silent apology on the bank manager with a now pinless smoke grenade in his mouth. The gas emptied itself into his mouth forcing the man to the ground, dead or unconscious I didn't want to know. I turned around to race to the driver's seat to see my kidnapper sitting in the front passenger seat with a rather gentle looking man driving the bus. A quick glance in front and behind the bus made it clear why a bus was the get away vehicle, it was school quitting time and every bus in Gotham was driving the same way. Focusing back on my captor, I looked from his horrific scars to the purple suit and found a gun trained on my head.  
"Now Darlin, standing while someone's driving… you should know that's dangerous. Come and take a seat here for me." He smirked with the gun still trained at me, making me grimacing at the sight. Flicking the barrel down at his lap I slowly placed myself in his lap, trying to make myself as comfortable in the most uncomfortable situation yet. I whimpered as an arm tightened itself around my waist, tucking me into his chest while the gun disappeared from my sight.

"Who are you?" I whispered as I shuffled feeling some stiff hard objects in his jackets, knowing my captor to the point that he always held something dangerous on his person.

"Darlin, I'm your worst nightmare. But call me the Joker for short." He winked… again.


End file.
